Bloodied Sanchez Outpoints Kampmann

An electrifying and bloody welterweight war of attrition went to
the judges, and they sided with Diego
Sanchez.

Sanchez survived the considerable skills of the world-ranked
Martin
Kampmann and posted a controversial unanimous decision over the
Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts representative in the
UFC Live 3 main event on Thursday at the KFC Yum! Center in
Louisville, Ky. All three judges scored it 29-28 for Sanchez, their
decision soundly booed by the Kentucky crowd.

“I knew I caught him with some big shots, too,” Sanchez said. “We
both got caught with some big shots.”

His face a mixed mess of mangled flesh and blood, Sanchez fell
behind in the first round, as Kampmann’s crisp standup skills
carried him and produced a knockdown off of a straight right hand.
Jabs and clean, straight power punches found their mark throughout
the first five minutes and had Sanchez bleeding profusely from the
mouth and nose. Concern hung over his corner in between rounds.

Still, “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 1 winner never stopped
pressing Kampmann. He drew the Dane into a firefight in the second
round, as the two high-caliber welterweights flurried wildly near
the cage. Kampmann, cut over the eye, staggered on the end of a
Sanchez right hand but kept his distance, gathered his wits and
later countered with more clean punches up the middle.

In round three, Sanchez completed the takedown he had so doggedly
pursued throughout the match. Kampmann stonewalled his first 14
attempts, but with 2:17 left in the bout, Sanchez finally grounded
him and passed briefly to side control. It may have swayed the
judges in his favor.

“I knew I would score points with that takedown,” Sanchez said. “I
thought I won the fight by putting [on] the pressure and
controlling the end of the fight.”

Undeterred, Kampmann returned to an upright position without much
trouble after the takedown, and the two welterweights unleashed on
one another once more in furious and glorious display of violent
competition.

Kampmann, who had never before lost consecutive fights as a
professional, was outspoken in his disappointment over the
decision. Sanchez’s face, having been battered for three rounds by
his opponent’s textbook strikes, was barely recognizable.

“I thought I won the fight,” said Kampmann, who appeared to have
broken his right hand midway through the final round. “I think I
won all three rounds, but definitely Diego caught me with some good
shots, as well. But look at his face. I thought I was landing with
way cleaner shots. Diego is a tough warrior, but I’m very
disappointed. I thought I won the fight. I think I broke my hand,
too. I couldn't throw my right hand. I still think I won the fight
hands down.”

Munoz Wrecks Dollaway in 54 Seconds

The surging Mark Munoz
won for the fifth time in six appearances, as he stopped fellow
All-American wrestler C.B.
Dollaway on first-round strikes in the co-headliner. Munoz
finished it in just 54 seconds.

Dollaway held the upper hand early, as he delivered a takedown on
the 2001 NCAA national wrestling champion inside the first 30
seconds and moved to a dominant position. Munoz freed himself and
avoided Dollaway’s dreaded choke game, as the two middleweights
returned to an upright position. Once there, Munoz fired off a
straight right hand and follow-up uppercut that sent Dollaway to
the mat. Two heavy hammerfists polished off “The Ultimate Fighter”
Season 7 finalist. The crowd booed the stoppage from referee Mario
Yamasaki, though it was clear Dollaway was in no condition to
defend himself.

“I came here to put on a show for you guys,” said Munoz, who
improved to 5-2 inside the UFC. “I was prepared to go three rounds
with C.B.”

Chris
Weidman file photo

Weidman won in his UFC debut.

Weidman Outpoints Sakara in UFC
Debut

Top middleweight prospect Chris
Weidman entered the Octagon with plenty of hype behind him, and
the 26-year-old Baldwin, N.Y., native did not disappoint.

A two-time collegiate All-American wrestler at Hofstra University,
Weidman grounded and grinded Alessio
Sakara en route to a unanimous decision over the
American Top Team veteran in a 185-pound showcase. All three
judges scored it 30-27 for Weidman, who took the fight on two
weeks’ notice and remains unbeaten in five professional
appearances.

“I’m so happy,” Weidman said. “I want to thank the UFC for this
opportunity. This was the chance of a lifetime. I needed to get out
here and get a win so bad.”

A competitive first round gave way to a dominant 10-minute stretch
for Weidman. He took down Sakara inside the first 30 seconds of
round two, moved to side control and dropped elbows from the top,
one of which carved a nasty gash into the Italian’s forehead.
Sakara’s blood painted the canvas, as the fight deepened. Weidman
secured three takedowns in the third round and hammered his foe
with elbows, forearms and punches from above.

“I came in here to stop him, 100 percent, but I’m not surprised
that [I couldn’t finish it],” Weidman said. “He’s a veteran. He’s
been around for a long time, so I knew he was going to be relaxed
in there, but I did my best.”

Bowles Chokes Page Unconscious

Former
WEC bantamweight champion Brian
Bowles choked Damacio
Page unconscious with a first-round guillotine in a featured
matchup at 135 pounds. The end came 3:30 into round one.

Page was the aggressor from the outset, as he attacked Bowles with
virtually every weapon in his standup arsenal: head kicks, leg
kicks, knees and heavy punches. The former titleholder weathered
the blitz, wobbled Page with a crackling uppercut and bullied him
to the mat. There, Bowles went to work with ground-and-pound and
cinched the choke when Page left his neck exposed. Moments later,
the Jackson’s
Mixed Martial Arts representative went limp.

“That’s my signature move,” said Bowles, who has battled hand and
foot injuries for the last year. “I hit it all the time in the gym.
He was out for a second. I didn’t want to keep holding on and hurt
him.”

The once-beaten Bowles submitted Page with a guillotine choke the
first time the two met in August 2008. Page’s aggression came as
little surprise.

“I fought him before. I knew he would come out aggressive,” said
Bowles, who trains out of the American Top Team-affiliated Hardcore
Gym in Athens, Ga. “I tried to use my footwork last time, and I
tried to do the same thing this time.”